The books I read during September, October, and November

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October 2023

I am starting this in the middle of Fall! NaNoWriMo is right around the corner, and a lot of writers are in NaNo Prep mode right now. And, while I’ve done some novel-specific prep the last few weeks, I’ve had some blog posts that I’ve been wanting to write that will take them off the ever-growing writer to-do list. I have written and published all the ones I’ve been wanting to (3 outta 3!), and now my last one is to prep this post, Fall 2023 Reads, as much as possible so that when November and NaNo end I can publish it as soon as possible. I might even set-up the templates for the winter months (Dec, Jan, and Feb for me), so that it’s easy to start. I love these posts and instead of nixing them altogether, I really want to try and make the process easier.

Life Lately

The holidays have solidly kicked off for Ant and I! We actually ended up skipping pumpkin carving with the Voylerwood fam. Our niece Azzie had a pottery art show the night we planned to do that and it was late by the time we got back to my parents’ house and ate dinner. So we hung out with Azzie and Sawyer while Silas-in-law helped them decorate and carve theirs.

We had two Thanksgivings this year. Ant and I drove to Jackson on the day of, which is about two hours south of us, to hang out with his mom and her boyfriend. We had tri-tip and pie and we got to meet and pet all of the animals—well, except one cat and the chickens and the ducks—but the dogs and Lilly the cat and the horses were friendly 🙂 We also taught them how to play King of Tokyo.

And then two days later, we celebrated again with my family. It was a very casual family day, complete with a family walk, dessert, card games, and Germany Trains game. We also celebrated Sawyerbean’s birthday. He turned four that weekend and I can’t believe it. And in a few months Azzie will turn eight. They’re not even mine and children are a weird way to watch time fly right past our eyes.

NaNoWriMo Update

Also known as National Novel Writing Month. I completed it with 35,052 words and a cold haha it was a great writing month and I learned a lot about my novel and my writing process. I realized I don’t really know my characters, so I bought a writing craft book to help with this and I’m excited to dive into that this month.

All the books

Compared to Summer, where I read four books, Fall busted that wide open. As I write this, I’m reading book number 9 for the season.

I read 16 this season. Here they are in the order I read them:

• On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft by Stephen King
• The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti
• Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Caravalho
• Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally
• The Statistical probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• The Circle of Three by Paul Regnier
• Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw
• Magie Murders by Anthony Horowitz
• The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook to Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson
• Legends & Lattesby Travis Baldree
• Children of the Wild by Krysta Tawlks
• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• Write Now, Here’s Now! By Linda Hasselstrom
• Postcards of South Dakota by Chuck Cecil
• Own Your Past Change Your Future by Dr. John Delony
• Dear Writer, Are You in Burnout? by Becca Syme

Of the NUMBER:

• Completed: 13
• Still Reading: 3
• Did Not Finish (DNF): 0

Books by the numbers:

• Owned: 13
• Library Books: 3
• Borrowed elsewhere: 0
• New Books (published in 2023): 0
• Ant’s Shelves: 0
• Rereads: 3
• eBooks: 1

By Readership and Genre:

• Fiction: 11
• Non-fiction: 5
• Poetry: 0
• Fantasy: 5
• YA: 7
• MG: 0
• Thriller: 0
• Writing: 3
• Memoir/Biography: 1

My favorites of the season:

• The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
• The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti
• The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
• The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook by Brandon Sanderson
• Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz

There could be spoilers ahead. You’ve been warned!

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21/30 // On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft by Stephen King

This was the second and only other book we read for Stephen King Summer this year. I read the majority of it in August but didn’t finish it until early September, which is why it’s included here. I found this book way back in 2014 at the used bookstore in town and read it for the first time that year. I remember it bringing me out of a reading funk.

This time around, I read it loosely alongside other Stephen King Summer club participants. I was able to attend the live discussion and I think it helped put the book in a better perspective. I’ve come a long way in my writing journey since 2014, so I know that a best-selling author’s routine is their routine and not something to copy and paste long term. But I was reminded that SK’s advice on writing workshops and conferences needs to be taken with a grain of salt. I was also reminded that SK started writing before the internet and it’s different ballgame out there now—in the world of writing and publishing. I love the book club discussions and the added perspective of other readers, writers, and SK fans.

My favorite parts of the book: how King talks about a writing toolbox, the insights into the novels he’s written, how he learned that life is the center of art (there’s a whole section on his writing desk and why he moved it to the corner and it’s so good), how he started, and his relationship with his wife Tabitha. I love a good origin story and that goes for authors as well.

I read the original version published in 2000, but there is a 20^th anniversary edition available with contributions from Joe Hill and Owen King.

20^th Anniversary Edition | Meet the Author | Stephen King Summer

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22/30 // The Six Rules of Maybe by Deb Caletti

Oh man, this book. Sa-woooon. I first read this book, I believe, just out of high school—my sister found it at the library and read it first—and then I read it, and I fell in love with it. And then, according to Goodreads, the second time I read it was in 2018 and loved it just as much. It’s been on my wish list for awhile and my mama bought it for my birthday this year. And with Stephen King Summer ending, it was time to read it again.

I resonated with the main character, Scarlett, still all these years later. She’s in her senior year of high school when the novel starts and the book fades into summer as it comes to its conclusion. I’m 32 years old, been married for 10 years. I’m 14 years removed from high school, and I still related to Scarlet so strongly still. I think it’s because I know more about my personality and motivations, and I have rarely read so much of myself reflected into a character. It was kinda eye-opening, but it was also nice to understand all these years later why I resonated with her so much the first two times I read it. And this is why I love fiction. It’s such a powerful, magical way to see and learn about ourselves.

To date, it still has one of my favorite scenes in a novel ever. I wrote it down the first time I ever read it and I still love it to this day. It’s just so beautifully written and I can see the entire thing. I’m there with Scarlet and her neighbor and that morning in their neighborhood. It’s a beautiful example of love. I would share it, but it’s a spoiler of sorts and I’d just rather readers experience it for themselves.

I love this story and now it’s a part of my home library.

*Note: Usually picking a favorite line is very time consuming and a labor of love, but I flipped open this novel right to this page. Because this is how Deb Caletti writes and I love it. It’s magic. I flipped through for about a second and saw so many brackets and underlines, but decided to just go with the quote I went with at the top of page 106 because it’s so good.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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23/30 // Salt and Sugar by Rebecca Caravalho

I finally checked this out from the library, and I loved it! It’s two rival bakeries, Salt and Sugar, set in set in the streets of Olinda, Brazil. I loved the setting, the culture, the tension of wanting to help the families and make them proud, but also trying to assert their independence and their ideas of how to save the bakeries from the big box store.

There were a couple minor things. Like the other girl that Pedro, the main male character, had an interest in in the beginning of the story–she just kinda fades out, which was subtle enough, but I did wonder about her for a second at the end. (There was something else very minor, but I can’t remember now with how much time has passed.)

I enjoyed it and look forward to more stories from this author.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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24/30 // Girls in the Moon by AUTHOR NAME

After The Six Rules of Maybe, I was still in the mood for Contemporary YA, so I pulled three books of my unofficial-official to-read shelf—all published in 2016 coincidentally. And I went with this one.

I found this book at a local Little Free Library…ohhhh I don’t know, a year or two ago *facepalm* It was beautiful. Like, written beautifully. The writing was very lyrical, poetical. Which, I was definitely in the mood for because I stuck with it and marveled at all the beautiful sentences.

It’s about Phoebe, the younger of two sisters, who is trying to find her place in her family and the world. Her mom, now a sculptor/artist, was a musician who stopped performing when she found out she was pregnant with Phoebe, and her older sister is living in New York with her boyfriend and they’re in a band. And Phoebe has talent writing lyrics. It’s a beautiful discovery story. It’s also written in 1st person POV, but it’s sprinkled with reverse chronological chapters from the mom’s perspective to show how she ended up leaving the music industry.

Again, a lyrical, beautifully written story about self-discovery set amongst New York City and the music scene.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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25/30 // The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith

This was another reread. I came across something on social media that reminded me that the Netflix adaptation was out. So on a day where I needed to just sit and rest, I read the book in a day and then watched the movie.

The book is still a favorite Contemporary YA of mine. It’s told in a point of view that’s omniscient of some kind, pulling back from the characters to see the way bigger picture of the world, how an instance can possibly change the entire trajectory of things, but we still only see the perspective of the Hadley, the main female character.  I’m a broken record with the word “beautiful” today, but it is.

Some movie insights: They made the main characters a little bit older, college-age, and I made the wedding more current, I believe, but overall it was a great! There were some other changes—a couple I’m curious as to why and then a couple others I really liked—but I won’t spoil it. Just go watch it 🙂

Buy the Book | Meet the Author | Movie Adaptation trailer | The OG Cover Design

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26/30 // The Circle of Three by Paul Regnier

This is a prequel of sorts to Bard Tidings, where we meet Flyngard. I read this through the my iPhone’s e-reader app—iBooks?. That’s how I read Bard Tidings and Smoke and Light and I like the app. (A few years ago, I switched my Amazon email to one that I use more often, forgetting that my Kindle account was linked to that previous email, and the only way I know how to make them match—it’ll wipe all the books I’ve downloaded. So, I keep putting it off. But so far, this system works.)

This was a fun adventure prequel. Paul was advertising it on his Instagram Stories—if you signed-up for his newsletter, then you could download this, and it was an easy decision because Bard Tidings was a delight. If you enjoy backstory and fantasy adventure, you’ll enjoy this!

If you read it, let me know what you think.

Read the Book | Meet the Author

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27/30 // Scarlett Epstein Hates it Here by Anna Breslaw

This was one of the other books published in 2016 that I also found at a Little Free Library. The premise is intriguing: high school girl’s favorite show ends—which she’s been talking and writing fan fiction about on a site with fellow internet fan friends—and she doesn’t know what to do with herself. So, she starts writing a science fiction version of her high school, starring (of course) her former best guy friend who she has a crush on, the girl he’s currently dating/hanging out (who also happens to be her best girl friend’s older sister), and herself. As a teenager once myself and as an adult that firmly holds that we can learn a lot from fiction—regardless of genre and target audience—this book was hard to like. I ended up skim-reading it because I wanted to know how it ended. Personally, I felt Scarlett was defensive, angry, and hard to root for. Again, looking back on my teen years—I had periods of this, no doubt. Maybe the novel wasn’t just for me. If you check it out, I hope you enjoy it.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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28/30 // Magpie Murders (Susan Ryeland #1) by Anthony Horowitz

I found this book in a local library’s nook where the constantly have used books for sale. I brought home a couple with me, but this is the one that stuck! I was in a bit of a reading slump before finding this and it was good enough to take with me on our Tennessee trip. A book within a book, a murder mystery in the novel and the book within. I’m not someone who analyzes the mystery and makes sure it clicks. I felt intrigued and excited. I gasped and exclaimed. I loved it! Give me a good mystery any day and I’m so there!

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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29/30 // The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England by Brandon Sanderson

I enjoyed this book! It wasn’t what I expected based on the title (you know, the typical medieval setting and typical wizards), and I loved all of its unexpectedness. A few chapters in, and I finally looked up the official summary on Goodreads, and I was just so pleasantly surprised. According to reviews, of the four Secret Projects Brandon Sanderson released this year, this is the novel Sanderson Fans were most nervous about because it’s not in the Cosmere universe and it’s out of his norm. I finally read Brandon Sanderson last year and entered his catalog through the first three Mistborn books and I am just a genuine cheerleader of Brandon Sanderson’s writing and stories. To see a well-known author experiment and try something (multiple somethings) new-to-him is so cool to see.

The main character’s voice is strong right out of the gate and, while a little confused at first, I found myself cheering for the main character. There’s humor, charm, honesty, flawed characters, found family, and self-discovery in this novel and it was all around a great read.

Also, the detailing of the cover, the art throughout the book and the margins—it’s all beautiful.

Also also, Brandon Sanderson’s website is a wonderful place to spend so much of your time. You’ll find book club videos linked from YouTube, a section is dedicated to deleted chapters and chapter-by-chapter annotations. It’s clearly a labor of love. Check it out if you want to know more 🙂

Buy the Book | Meet the Author | State of The Sanderson // Dec. 2023

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30/30 // Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

I finally read this book! I’ve been wanting to read this for so long and when I saw it at Target last week (at the time of this writing), I managed to walk out of Target with only what I needed. Target-0, Tracy-1 =D So I did the next best thing and put it on hold at the library, and it timed perfectly with having just finished Frugal Wizard.

And it is a delightful cozy fantasy book! Complete with magic, gnomes, a dire cat, and just an orc named Viv who wants to start over and share coffee in this new town with the new people and friends she meets along the way.

I love that it presented a different spin in the typical fantasy setting. It also feels very much like a Dungeons and Dragons story, which I miss playing, so I loved reading it.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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31/30 // Children of the Wild by Krysta Tawlks

Krysta and I connected on Instagram in Fall of 2022, and this past November we finally got to meet at a local Barnes and Noble, at her book signing the weekend of Children of the Wild’s release. It was great!

The novel is YA Fantasy about a boy trying to decide if the magic happening to him is a gift or a curse, something he would want to live without. It’s a beautiful story about growing up, learning to trust ourselves and our instincts, with family at its core.

I loved the story and I look forward to future novels from Krysta.

Buy the Book | Krysta’s Newsletter

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32/30 // The Scorpio Races by Maggie Steifvater

This book was surprise. It’s been on my Goodreads TBR for about a year and I was reminded of it in a reading update I read. I instantly put it on hold at the library and read it over Thanksgiving weekend. In fact, that Sunday (11/26) all I wanted to do was read this book instead of write my own, I had to place it all the way across the house from me haha.

I love the characters, the island this story takes place on, the water horses, the race, all of it. It perfectly fits the fall season and I think reading it in November, the month it takes place in, actually enhanced the story.

This was the book I didn’t know I needed to read. After reading The Shade of Magic trilogy…I felt like I was struggling to find other books that felt similar. So when I stumbled upon this book—it is very V.E. Schwab adjacent, while also having a distinct tone and voice of its own.

I loved it. I thought I would read it again immediately after, but I surprised myself and didn’t. (Though, January spoiler alert, I still have it checked out from the library, so maybe I’ll get another read in before it’s due lol.) I do plan on reading it again this upcoming November.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author

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33/30 // Writer Now, Here’s How by Linda M. Hasselstrom

Wow, this book. The more Ant and I travel, the more I want to try and make it a point (when we visit the local bookstores), to find the local author section. When we were in South Dakota in August 2022, this was accidental, but I’m so glad picked it up.

It wasn’t easy picking one favorite line because the essays are beautiful and different, but I tried to go with something that captured writing and captured Linda’s style.

There are 40 chapters in this book and they’re divided evenly into two sections, the first is “Thinking is Writing” and the second is “Revision, Review, Improvement”. Linda’s essays are beautiful, tying in the setting of the Black Hills and what she knows about ranching and the land into priceless and practical writing advice. She has more than one essay on how to have a writer’s retreat in your everyday life (as opposed to trying to save up for one, striving for one) chalk full of practical advice.

Buy the Book | Meet the Author | Linda’s Website | Killdeer bird

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What I’m Looking forward to Reading Next Season

I found Les Mis! We visited the wonderfulness that is McKAY’s while in Tennessee in October. Ant almost prefers used bookstores because a lot of the series he wants to read are older and the General Fantasy section (not YA or RPG source books) in Indie Bookstores is small. So, we tried one place in Downtown Dickson—which was cute and did have a used books section (I thought it was primarily used when I looked it up), but when I mentioned McKAY’s to him our friend Brit—her eyes lit up and she was like, “McKAY’s is awesome!” So we went that Sunday after church and let me tell you: it is awesome.

I found Les Mis, The Chronicles of Narnia for Kady and Azzie, and a couple other books I’ve already read but love enough to own. Ant found a handful of books also—two Raymond Fiest books and Terry Brooks novel. We were there for a good couple of hours, but I could have spent much longer there. I made it through the YA and Fantasy sections, and I purposefully looked through Jeffrey Deaver’s section to find an early book and I intentionally looked through the Classics for Les Mis, but I forgot to check out Stephen King’s section. I imagine it will become a regular stop on our Tennessee trips.

Back to Les Mis. I flew out to Arizona in early December to see friends (just for the weekend), and I saw the musical in Tempe with two of them. It’s my friends’ favorite musical, so it was special to see it with them Les Mis holds a special place in my friend Jen’s heart because she used some of the songs as her audition songs and I’m pretty sure she’s seen the Broadway show before. And then her daughter Morgan was raised with the soundtrack and loves the 2012 film that was made. Neither Morgan or I had seen the stage production before. It was special to see it with them.

I read this book in Freshmen English (high school) and didn’t appreciate it, but I do love musicals. I didn’t get a chance to read the book before going (hello Maggie Stiefavter novels), but it was so fun to see it with hardcore fans. Jen whisper-sang all the songs and they kept up a running commentary at the intermission and the car ride home. It was delightful. It’s the last show of the year for me, and it was a delightful one to end on 🙂

What I’m looking forward to reading in Winter:

• Apparently, a lot of Maggie Stiefvater’s catalog! I checked out The Raven Boys in the same haul as Scorpio Races and Bravely.
• The other two Secret Novels of Brandon Sanderson, Yumi and the Night Painter and The Sunlit Man.
• A part of me really wants to read The Scorpio Races and Bravely again. We’ll see haha
• Creating Character Arcs – a writing craft book by K.M. Weiland on uniting structure, plot, and character development

As always:

• How was your fall?
• How did the holidays go?
• What was your favorite book from the season?
• What are you looking forward to reading next?

But really, what’s your favorite book that you’re reading now, in February =D

Answer one or all or a mix of some 🙂 I love to hear about your reading life and seasons. If you don’t want to comment, you can always email me at tracyerler [dot] writer [at] gmail [dot] com 🙂

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Want to see what else I’ve read this year?

Summer 2023 Reads

All the Books posts here!

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Writing Process Notes:

10/26/23 // 11:28am-1:02pm. Dining room table. 2pm EST prickle. 1989 album playing. Current Word Count: 1,156.

10/27/23 // 8:34am-10:15am. Dining room table during the Author Life Prickle. 1989 (Taylor’s Version) playing. Current TOTAL Word Count: 2,789

• Stopped really focusing around 10:15am. Went back and forth working on it until 11:30 (forgot a book!), but I’m distracted by internet things, so I’m getting off to give myself a break from this.

11/17/23 // 8:20am-9:55am. Writing Desk. Bobby Bones Show. #authorlife prickle. Current word count: 3,257

12/2/23 // 10:19am-11:19am. My end of the couch. Ant watching a Mati episode of Elden Ring. Current word count: 3,705

1/2/24 // 9:22pm-10:23pm. Updating post with thoughts, dedications, favorite quotes, etc. for library books. On Midnight Prickle with Feya, Tamara, and Nicha 🙂 sitting on the living room floor. Hobbit Hole quiet; I can kinda hear the rain outside. Current WC: 4,121

1/5/24 // 8:46am-9:30am. saved book pics to laptop and adding them to the post. Writing Desk, listening to the Bobby Bones Show

1/12/24 // 8:45am-10:01am. the first 15 mins writing with Author Life Prickle and then the 9 o’clock hour, write-in with Laci. Progress is being made!

1/20/24 // 7:33am-. On Saleema’s 10am EST prickle, writing desk. Hobbit Hole quiet. Current WC: 4,591.

2/1/24 // 10:19am-11:48am. Writing desk. Trying out Natalie Kovarik’s playlist. Added links and final edits!!!! It’s complete! *confetti* WC: 4,726